NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — New Bedford saw nearly eight inches of rain Friday. It fell so quickly that it overwhelmed storm drains and and the parched ground, filling up basements.

Firefighters spent hours helping homeowners pump feet of water out of their cellars. The area around Sylvia Street was hit particularly hard. Robert and Debbie Furtado tell Eyewitness News their basement had nearly four feet of water in it. It’s the first time their cellar has flooded in nearly thirty years.

“It really wasn’t the Fourth of July I was expecting. I mean, I don’t think anyone wanted this weather for their Fourth of July, but to have to go through this, it’s kind of devastating,” Debbie Furtado said. “But we’re all safe, and that’s all that really matters.”

The Furtado family says they do not have flood insurance, but is now considering buying a policy.